The woman was the sole breadwinner for the family. The couple also has two children, aged four and nine, who have been left alone in their residence following the incident

A 30-year-old woman died after being allegedly strangulated by her drunk husband following an altercation between the two on Wednesday night in Suthyana village of Noida.

Sanju, of Bokaro in Jharkhand, was living with her husband Raju, 31, and their two children in a rented house in the village. Sanju was employed as a worker in a private company and was the sole breadwinner for the family.

Neighbours found Sanju’s body on Thursday and informed the police. The body was sent for a post-mortem examination. The accused has been on the run since the incident.

“Till now, the post-mortem examination has not been done but prima facie, it appears that the victim was strangulated. As soon as we received the information that a body had been found, we reached the spot and sent it for an autopsy. A case of murder against Raju, the woman’s husband, has been registered under Indian Penal Code section 302. He has been on the run since last night,” Avdhesh Awasthi, station house officer of Ecotech-3 police station, said.

According to the police, the duo used to stay in a flat, rented from one Bindal Bhati. The couple’s neighbours had also intervened during the altercation on Wednesday night, the police said.

“Our investigation revealed that Raju had come home drunk last night and picked a fight with Sanju. Hearing the screams, the neighbours intervened and tried to resolve the dispute. It is believed that Sanju was killed when the duo started fighting again,” Awasthi said.

The couple’s daughter Anjali, 9, and son Anshu, 4, have been left behind in the rented house. “We are trying to contact their relatives in Bokaro but have not succeeded so far. As soon as their guardians reach Noida, the kids will be handed over to them after completing the formalities,” Awasthi said.